Frederick County delegation seeks raise for sheriff's salary after nearly 20 years without increase

The Frederick County delegation presented House Bill 11-97 on March 12 seeking to raise the county sheriff's salary. Delegation chairs emphasized the bipartisan compromise reached in a work group and said the increase would not take effect midterm; instead it would apply to the person elected at the next sheriff's election.

The sponsor described the position as a full-service sheriff's office that enforces the law and operates corrections facilities for a county of nearly 300,000 residents, and said the salary has not changed since 2005. The bill proposes a salary set at 82.5% of Frederick County's state's attorney salary, which the sponsor said currently equates to $187,313. Supporters compared Frederick to other counties' sheriff salaries, noting some smaller counties pay more.

Delegates asked about fiscal details and local government support. Sponsors said the county government would cover local expenditures and that the county was neutral or not opposing the change. Committee members also asked about timing; sponsors said the measure had been filed repeatedly but that they sought to resolve the long-standing disparity in a non-election year so the new amount would take effect after the next election.

No formal committee vote was recorded at the hearing; supporters said the proposal is a local, bipartisan request to correct a two-decade salary disparity for an office they described as larger and more operationally complex than in some other counties.